After Experiencing Years Of Terror, Iraqis Now Show Support For Israel

The crisis in the Middle East has brought about some unexpected positive changes in Arab-Israeli relations, such as the sudden covert relations between Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Israel, and the close cooperation between the Egyptian military and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the war against ISIS and Islamist groups in Gaza.

However, things are by no means perfect, as became clear in Jordan after an security guard shot and killed two Jordanian citizens during a terror attack on the Israeli embassy in Amman two weeks ago.

Thousands of Jordanians demanded the extradition of the Israeli security guard, who acted in self-defense after a Jordanian teenager reportedly tried to stab him with a screwdriver, and urged the Jordanian government to cut ties with Israel.

The Hashemite Kingdom, which is home to a majority of the Palestinian Arabs, has seen a spate of anti-Israel sentiments over the past few weeks, ever since Israel tried to introduce new security measures on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in response to a terrorist attack that killed two Israeli police officers July 14.

The Jordanian masses fumed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had hailed the injured Israeli security guard as a hero, as well as as at King Abdullah, who after pressure from the U.S., decided to release the Israeli embassy employee and let him leave the country.

The pressure on the king led him to travel to Ramallah, where the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority are housed. There, in a show of support for the Palestinian cause, he made it clear that the “warm” peace with Israel is in danger due to the way the government in Jerusalem has handled both crises.

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In Iraq, though, attitudes have toward Israel have seemed to shift, as has become apparent from Israeli media reports.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry (IMFA) reported that during the Temple Mount of al-Aqsa crisis, thousands of Iraqis sent the ministry messages of support, sympathy and even expressed a desire for normal relations to be established between the countries.

Iraqis even created several new Facebook pages and an Arab-language website to promote coexistence between Israelis and Iraqis, according to IMFA.

But from the reactions posted on Twitter and Facebook, it became clear that the sudden support for Israel was not based on love for the Jewish state, but rather on anger directed at the Iraqi government and other Arab regimes who have failed to stem the flood of terror attacks that have hit Iraq.

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An average of 25 Iraqis die every day in a continuing wave of terror that began even before the 2003 U.S. invasion in Iraq.

Zaid, a resident of Baghdad, wrote to IMFA, “All the Iraqis are with you, not necessarily out of love. Israel did not (even) throw stones at us while the Muslim Brotherhood sent suicide bombers and financed them to fight us.”

Another resident of Baghdad, Abdullah Basem, called the Palestinian Arabs “Fakestinians” and said they are traitors and terrorists.

Basem wrote that he wanted recognition of Israel, which he dubbed the “chosen and the victorious people,” and said he would be “happy to visit Israel and welcome a visit by Israelis to their second homeland, the great nation of Iraq.”

Bader, a resident of the southern Iraqi city of Basra, explained why Iraqis now identify with the Israeli people.

“The Iraqis have suffered for years, while the Israelis have been refusing to accept terrorism for decades,” Bader wrote, adding that “the Palestinians must be expelled to countries that adopt and teach death and destruction.”

IMFA wrote in response to Bader: “We share your courageous view and know that you have suffered. We are in the same boat as far as terrorism is concerned and hope that Iraq’s sons will enjoy security. As for your advice, we will never expel anyone, because we are all from the same region and there is no escape from living together. We believe in peace in the region.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted that most positive Iraqi reactions to the crisis at the Temple Mount showed that people have accepted the existence of the state of Israel, and are realizing that attitudes to the contrary accomplish nothing.